Virginia Tech looked really good last week when we covered their Georgia Tech game. And you would think that after Logan Thomas pulls off the quarterback sneak a couple of times, the defense would get the message that when third-and-short comes along, you may need to key in on the QB. They may not always surprise you, but the Hokies keep surging.

We've got two of the top running backs in the ACC tonight: David Wilson, who's been phenomenal for the Hokies, leads the FBS in total rushing yards with 1,360 and is coming off an impressive career-high 175 rush yards last Thursday. UNC's got freshman Giovanni Bernard, who you probably haven't heard of — he's a freshman — but he's already rushed for 1,000 yards this season.

Some people — including our guys in the booth — are saying David Wilson should be in the Heisman talk. And when you put up numbers like that — he's got nine out of 10 games with 100-plus yards rushing this season — then you would expect him to be a Heisman contender and a top draft prospect. Not only is he fast — he's a track guy — but he can really cut at full speed. I met him this week, and he's definitely an eccentric guy. He wears suits to school... every day, but I must say he looks pretty sharp.

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

And there's this ramp called the Flying Buttress, on the side of Cassell Coliseum here, and it's pretty steep. Well, David Wilson ran up the side of that. He told me that when he was growing up, there was a Winn-Dixie grocery store that had a ramp up to the roof. He would always try to run up that as a kid, and he'd get up about 20 steps before his mom would say, Ooh, get your butt down here, David! And so I guess one day before last season, Wilson was with his teammates, and he looked up and said, Well, shoot, that looks like Winn-Dixie, and mom ain't here to stop me. So he ran straight to the top. Oh, and supposedly he caught a wild rabbit with his bare hands on practice field. What can I say? You gotta like his style.

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

Someone else on Virginia Tech that we've talked about as being a very big pro is Logan Thomas. Here's a kid that didn't even want to be a quarterback — he turned down QB scholarship offers out of high school because he wanted to be a receiver. It wasn't until after fall practice his freshman year that the coaches told him they were moving him under center. But when you watch some of the throws he made last week from the sideline — I think VT made the right decision in putting the ball in his hands. Jesse Palmer said to me the other day: Half the guys in the NFL couldn't make that throw he made to Danny Coale last week.

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

The Butch Davis misconduct thing? No one really talked about it in meetings this week. I think this team is just trying to move forward and focus on this season.

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

When you talk about North Carolina, you talk about basketball. But quarterback Brynn Renner can still be a big man on campus in Chapel Hill — especially after this bye week following his mild concussion, which was serious stuff — and especially in Blacksburg: His father kicked there, his mother was a cheerleader there, his cousins go there, his grandma lives five minutes from campus and has had tickets on the 50-yard line for 44 years. But he assured us she will definitely be wearing Carolina blue.

Me? I got a new jacket. I'm excited to rock it, especially since temperatures are going down into the 20s here. It's definitely the coldest of my sideline career, so no fingerless gloves for me!

Elsewhere in Week 12...

Ezra Shaw/Getty

USC-Oregon might be a lot closer than people expect. With USC not being able to play for a bowl game, they're kind of underrated team. I've always been a fan of Matt Barkley's, and he's turned into a really good quarterback — especially if they can protect him. And USC's run defense is really good, too, so they may give LaMichael James a little trouble.

Oklahoma-Baylor is a big-time quarterback throwdown. And Baylor needs to protect the quarterback, to say the least. Not only is Baylor not doing well in the turnover category, but they're facing Oklahoma, which leads the nation in sacks. RG3 is great at chucking the deep ball, but he needs to be accurate, and he's not going to have the time he's used to against the Sooners. There's a reason OU has won all 20 games against them....

Nebraska-Michigan features two dynamic QBs, too. Nebraska's defense, against Denard Robinson, will have to show that he can play balanced — despite his sprained wrist from Michigan's win over Illinois, which you have to keep in mind. And with Taylor Martinez as a real dual threat for the Huskers, plus Rex Burhead, I think this might be the closest of all of our ranked games this week.

Jenn Brown's Weekly Heisman Top 5:

Brett Deering/Getty

1. Andrew Luck (QB, Stanford) Look: The guy who's first can also be third when you come down the stretch — they're all fantastic. But Luck's still gotta be the guy up top.

2. Brandon Weeden (QB, Oklahoma State) Don't count him out yet! It's just such an interesting story — going to play baseball and then coming back. There's a reason people say he's as mature as the coaches.

3. Trent Richardson (RB, Alabama) He could be at No. 2, but Weeden had such a good game last week with those 423 yards.

4. Russell Wilson (QB, Wisconsin) Speaking of great stories....

5. David Wilson (RB, Virginia Tech) Figured I will start the Heisman talk for him now!

As told to Matt Sullivan

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North Carolina plays at Virginia Tech on Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Jenn Brown returns right here every Thursday on Esquire.com. In the meantime, follow her on Twitter.

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